New Cryptocurrency Mining Malware “MassMiner” Attacking Web Servers Using various Powerful Exploits

Newly discovered cryptocurrency mining malware called MasssMiner using various powerful exploits to compromise web servers to mine monero Cryptocurrency around the world.

Its act as a worn that has capable of self-replicating through a number of different exploits also perform brute-force attack to compromise and access the  Microsoft SQL Servers.

It using various hacking tools and exploits leveraging single executable and it continuously spreading many ways to accomplish its task.

It infected many countries including India, Germany, Colombia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, China, Venezuela.

MassMiner Infection Process on Web Servers

Initially, MassMiner malware spreading via local network and later it will infiltrate other networks and researchers discovering this propagation via honeypot network.

A machine that infected by MassMiner malware will attempt to spread using an exploit for Apache Struts and later perform reconnaissance operation.

According to Alienvault, MassMiner includes a fork of MassScan, a tool that can scan the internet in under 6 minutes. The MassScan fork passes a list of IP ranges to scan during execution, which includes private and public IP ranges.

MassMiner malware using 3 powerful exploits to against vulnerable networks that was discovered using MassScan.

• CVE-2017-10271 WebServer Exploit;
• CVE-2017-0143 SMB Exploit (EternalBlue, used to install DoublePulsar);
• CVE-2017-5638 Apache Struts Exploit; and
• Brute Forcing access to Microsoft SQL Servers using SQLck

Once the Microsoft SQL Servers will be compromised, Specific SQL script will install MassMiner and later script will disable the number of important security features such as anti-virus.

Similarly, Weblogic servers download MassMiner via PowerShell and  VisualBasic script is used to deploy the malware to compromised Apache Struts servers.

after the complete infection, it performs a various modification to avoid detection and ensure its persistence.

Later MassMiner connects into its command & control server to download the configuration files “http://server/Cfg.ini”.

Finally, Server download the updates and malicious executable will infect the other machine and enable the Monero wallet and mining pool to send mined currency.

If the HTTP request will never be responded then the malware is capable of successfully running the Miner with its default configuration, researchers said.